The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 341

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 341

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The marketplace had transformed.
As if time itself were a balm for even the deepest wounds, people had begun to laugh and chatter once more.
Smiles returned to the faces of those who had wept.
Bright voices unmarred by sorrow filled the streets, and the struggle for survival among those who wished to live had begun anew.
I surveyed this scene and made my way toward the Yunryong Inn.
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, it was not Na Cheonmun but the innkeeper who greeted me first.
“Young Master So! Have you come for a meal?”
“No, I’m looking for someone. They should be staying here.”
“Someone, you say? Do you have a name?”
“Na Cheonmun.”
The innkeeper furrowed his brow as he repeated the name.
Unable to recall anything despite his efforts, he hurried away and opened his ledger, beginning to search through the names of guests staying in the rooms.
But as nothing seemed to appear, he let out a groan and approached me again when—
“Young Master! Here! Over here!”
Someone on the second floor waved their hands frantically from one side of the guest rooms.
The moment I saw that figure, a hollow laugh escaped me.
“Ha—”
Dressed in a shabby robe with hair hastily tied back, the appearance was roughly similar to before.
Yet the journey from Tianshan to here had clearly taken its toll—the flesh had fallen from his face, leaving him gaunt, and dark shadows hung beneath his eyes as if he hadn’t slept properly.
The eyes that looked down at me were as lifeless as those of a dead fish.
No one would have recognized him as the person I had first seen.
I clicked my tongue and spoke.
“Why are you here?”
“Ha, haha. To meet you, Young Master… I came.”
Hmm—
I regarded him carefully and surveyed the surroundings.
No matter how I looked, I saw no sign of any Demon Sect disciples besides Na Cheonmun. Did he come alone? The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head.
Na Cheonmun alone would struggle even against a pack of wolves.
Yet to traverse the great distance from Tianshan to Luoyang without incident was unimaginable, so I surmised that he must have had an escort, though they had not returned after completing their purpose.
I stroked my chin and pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Follow me.”
“Yes!”
Na Cheonmun, who had been waving from the second-floor railing, hurried down the stairs and stood before me.
His eyes were so bright and eager, as if he were meeting someone he had long awaited.
Uncomfortable under that gaze, I clicked my tongue and turned away, moving toward the annex.
“W-where are you going?”
“The private quarters. There’s no better place for a conversation than there.”
“P-private quarters? At the Yunlong Inn… the private quarters!”
Had he stopped at an inn on his journey from Mount Tian to Luoyang and fallen into worldly indulgence? At the mention of the private quarters, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Only those with sufficient wealth could even afford to glance at such a place, regardless of their martial prowess within the Orthodox Sect.
Na Cheonmun’s eyes darted about ceaselessly.
As if desperately trying to commit every detail of the resplendent, magnificent private quarters to memory.
I led him inside.
Once we settled into the reception room, a maid soon entered and bowed respectfully.
“Is there anything you require, Young Master So?”
“First… bring us something to eat. Do you have any dietary restrictions?”
“N-no! Nothing at all! I’ll eat anything! Absolutely anything!”
Na Cheonmun responded to my question with exaggerated enthusiasm.
The maid’s eyes widened in surprise at his loud voice and manner, and only then did he seem to realize how ridiculous his situation appeared—his face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
I clicked my tongue at the sight.
“I’ll leave the selection to you. Prepare what you think best. Looking at him, it seems we’ll need quite a lot.”
“Understood.”
The maid bowed and left the room once more.
As the door closed and her presence faded, I turned my attention back to Na Cheonmun.
“From Singyeo to Luoyang—such a journey could only be undertaken by someone driven to madness.”
“Ha… yes, that’s true. It was truly… exhausting.”
“Did you come alone?”
“No! If I’d come by myself, I would have perished on the road. The Sect Leader’s personal guards accompanied me, but… they’ve already returned. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do…”
Na Cheonmun’s expression grew grim, his face contorted with worry.
The return journey stretched before him like an endless abyss.
Countless dangers awaited.
With the guards present, he could have clung to them and survived without effort, but now he had to survive alone.
I offered a bitter smile.
“Was this the Sect Leader’s orders?”
At my question, Na Cheonmun nodded carefully.
Whether in Orthodox or Heterodox territories, the Demon Sect’s activities had ceased long ago.
Yet to suddenly undertake such a perilous venture to Luoyang suggested something of considerable importance was at stake.
Especially if it was the Sect Leader’s command.
I leaned back in my chair, my brow furrowing.
“Any debts between us should have been settled long ago.”
“I-I don’t know anything about that. I simply follow orders from above. And if it’s the Sect Leader’s command… how could anyone refuse?”
Na Cheonmun clutched his shoulders, his expression filled with fear. His body trembled as if the Sect Leader stood before him, his complexion turning ashen.
For a Demon Sect disciple, the Sect Leader’s orders were absolute.
What more could be said of a mere rank-and-file member?
Was I sent to Luoyang because of our connection?
After all, I had built quite a long relationship with the Demon Sect.
I exhaled a sigh and posed another question.
“So what is this matter?”
“This is….”
Na Cheonmun carefully moved his hand and withdrew a letter from his bosom—sealed with ornate golden thread and bearing Muk-hwang’s official seal.
Without doubt, it was something Ma Un, the Demon Sect Leader, had sent to me.
I accepted it and slowly broke the seal.
“If it were merely a letter, there would have been no need for you to come in person.”
“He insisted that it be delivered directly to you, Young Master.”
“A letter that must absolutely reach me….”
I suppressed a groan and examined the letter.
Unlike Na Cheonmun’s handwriting, this was written with forceful strokes.
There was something overwhelming about it, as if a dragon were writhing across the page.
Imprinting that upon my eyes, I began to read the contents.
The letter contained far more text than I had anticipated, so reading it required considerable time.
During that interval, the maids brought out an abundance of food.
As the empty table became laden with dishes, I could sense Na Cheonmun swallowing empty air in disbelief.
Yet he said nothing.
As if waiting for me to finish reading the letter.
Only after reading for quite some time did I furrow my brow and set the letter down.
Condensing the lengthy contents, it amounted to this:
A supreme demonic treasure hidden deep within the Demon Sect had vanished. Trackers were sent in pursuit but were annihilated, and the thieves fled into the Central Plains.
Since it lay within Jeongdo’s territory, I could not act directly—help me.
I scratched my head and offered an awkward smile.
“Why are there so many people who cannot manage their possessions….”
“Pardon?”
“It is nothing.”
I smiled bitterly and shook my head.
This was none other than the Demon Sect, supreme under heaven.
Given that it bore the name “supreme demonic treasure,” it was certainly a divine artifact, and its disappearance meant the opponent was no ordinary person.
I regarded Na Cheonmun.
He had been swallowing saliva and lifting his chopsticks when he caught my gaze, hastily setting them down with an awkward smile.
“Is there something you wish to ask?”
“What is this supreme demonic treasure?”
“Ah! There is no Sect Member who does not know of it! It is an object created by the great Cheonma himself. Haha.”
“…An object? What does it look like?”
It did not seem to be an elixir or a secret manual.
From his words, it appeared to be an object, and the moment the question arose—could it be Gok Ok?
Yet Na Cheonmun gazed at me with a blank expression and shook his head.
“I do not know.”
“Isn’t that a sacred artifact of Singyeo?”
“Ha, yes it is. But I don’t know. The only person who might know its true nature would be… perhaps the Sect Leader?”
Na Cheonmun trailed off without conviction.
If the Sect Leader knew, it meant the family that had produced him likely knew as well.
Naturally, the deceased Nam Tae-cheon would have too.
Thinking that far, I shook my head and dismissed the matter of Gok Ok.
If it truly were Gok Ok, Nam Tae-cheon would have sought to claim it before pursuing the Sect Leader’s position.
But since he showed no such inclination, it meant the object was something entirely different from Gok Ok.
“In the end, we’d have to capture it to find out what it is.”
But I had no intention of dancing in the Sect Leader’s palm.
Once becomes twice, and after that, there would be no end.
I casually picked up my chopsticks and looked at Na Cheonmun.
“I must decline.”
“Eh!? You won’t go? But it’s the Sect Leader’s command…”
“I’m not a sect member, and I have much on my plate recently. This isn’t the time to concern myself with other matters.”
At my firm words, Na Cheonmun’s face turned ashen.
He clearly understood what terrible fate awaited him if he returned without moving me.
His situation was pitiable, but there was nothing I could do about it.
“That is… this…”
Then Na Cheonmun withdrew another letter from his robes.
I gazed at the object placed on the table with a puzzled expression when he spoke again, his face awkward.
“The Sect Leader anticipated this might happen… and sent this.”
“Ha.”
Had he seen one step ahead?
Understanding someone’s nature is fundamental to moving them, and in that brief time, he seemed to have grasped who I was quite well.
I reached out and grasped what lay on the table.
The contents were shorter and more concise than before.

Wuji—The Pinnacle of Martial Arts.

I rested my chin in my hand and reviewed the contents once more.
Merely two characters.
Yet my heart stirred with inexplicable unease.
Every martial artist had dreamed of such a thing.
But those who had achieved it remained few and far between.
Then did those two characters mean that something was written here—a path to reach the Boundless beyond the Extreme Martial Way?
Was this perhaps a provocation?
I rested my chin and gazed intently at the letter.
The moment my eyes narrowed, flames gathered at the fingertips holding the letter.
In that instant, fire blazed forth as if condensing into being.
Whoosh—
The flames surged to reduce it to ash in a single breath, yet strangely, a subtle energy woven into the letter repelled the fire, and the characters became even clearer.
It was as though Ma Un’s inner force breathed with life within the letter itself.
I furrowed my brow and drew forth the flames with greater intensity.
In that moment, the letter’s energy crumbled, scattering as ash.
“Ugh!”
The technique of the Samadhi True Fire.
Na Cheonmun’s cry echoed as he witnessed that exquisite and transcendent method, yet it did not reach my ears.
No sound could penetrate my consciousness now.
My slowly closing eyes sank into an abyss.
All sounds scattered meaninglessly, and only one sentence circled within my mind.
The Boundless Martial Extreme.
I do not know precisely what the Extreme Martial Way truly is.
Yet it is surely connected to the Heavenly Demon, and considering his achievements and the legends of he who founded the Heavenly Mountain Demon Sect, there must surely exist a thread leading to the Extreme.
Does Ma Un know this and still send me forth?
Laughter escaped me unbidden.
“You have quite the talent for making one wish to verify such things.”
One who does not exist in this place, but dwells far away.
My voice surely would not reach his ears, yet the image formed in my mind was of Ma Un sitting alone in solitary dignity, smiling.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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